Will new ban save next generation of smokers?
A new law is coming into force in Wales today making it illegal to smoke in the grounds of schools and hospitals and in children’s playgrounds. Here Suzanne Cass, CEO of Ash Wales, explains the important legislation in more detail...
WALES makes history today by becoming the first country in the UK to ban smoking in the grounds of schools and hospitals and in children’s playgrounds.
The Public Health (Wales) Act legislation is aimed at driving down smoking rates in Wales, where 18% of the adult population currently smoke. Any smokers caught lighting up in areas covered by the act could be subjected to a £100 fine.
When the legislation was first announced it was hailed by Welsh Government ministers as the most important public health legislation to be launched in a decade.
Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable early death in Wales and it costs the Welsh NHS £320m a year to treat patients with smoking-related conditions.
Meanwhile smoking prevalence among young people remains stubbornly high, with around 8% of 15 to 16-year-olds smoking weekly and an estimated 6,000 children taking up the habit every year in Wales.
The higher rates of smoking prevalence in the poorest areas of Wales are a major contributor to the health inequalities that exist across the country.
Generations of families in our most deprived communities have been caught in the grip of this deadly addiction, leading to an endless cycle of poverty and illhealth that begins again when young people take up the habit.
Tackling smoking prevalence is therefore an urgent public health priority and Ash Wales, which campaigned for the Public Health (Wales) Act to come into force, believes the legislation will help to de-normalise smoking, prevent young people from taking up the habit and encourage existing smokers to quit.
The charity also hopes the legislation could pave the way for more smoke-free spaces, with the Welsh Government having indicated that it could consider also banning smoking outside pubs, cafes and restaurants in the future.
In order for any smoke-free legislation to be really effective in tackling existing smoking prevalence in Wales, robust and easily accessible smoking cessation services must be available to all those smokers that want to quit the habit.
Quitting smoking is tough and we know that those smokers that quit using a combination of behavioural support and nicotine replacement therapy are around three times more likely to quit for good than those who go it alone.
Our previous research has shown that around 45% of current smokers want to quit the habit.
Now the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a surge in the number of smokers deciding to give up, with research by Ash and University College London claiming that an estimated 33,000 smokers have quit smoking since the start of the pandemic.
Currently in Wales free help is available for smokers that want to quit from NHS Wales’ Help Me Quit service.
Community pharmacies also offer a smoking cessation service, providing free nicotine replacement therapy and behavioural support.
The numbers of adults continuing to smoke, however, remains stubbornly high and there is a strong need for more targeted and innovative support to reach those who are not currently accessing existing smoking cessation services.
The use of digital technology could be the answer. Meanwhile Ash Wales is campaigning for all smokers admitted to hospitals in Wales to be provided with advice, nicotine replacement therapy and behavioural support to encourage them to quit.
Ash Wales’ most recent YouGov survey showed that there would be strong public support for such a scheme in Wales with 75% of all Welsh adults in favour of all smokers staying in hospital being offered advice and medication to help them to quit.
The success of the new legislation in tackling smoking prevalence will depend on a combination of effective enforcement and support for those who choose to quit as a result of it.
More difficult to measure will be the extent to which the legislation changes attitudes towards smoking by de-normalising it.
For too long smoking has been perceived as a normal lifestyle choice, with the sight of smokers lighting up in everyday environments commonplace.
There is nothing normal about smoking, however. It is an extremely harmful addiction that all too often begins in childhood, with 81% of smokers in Wales having tried a first cigarette aged 18 or under.
We hope that this legislation should make great strides in changing perceptions about this addiction and preventing children from becoming the next generation of adult smokers.